Public Safety

At just 72 degrees, the temperature inside a car can rise to more than 100 degrees in a short amount of time, making it dangerous to leave pets in vehicles, warned Galax Animal Control Officer Veronica Bryant.
“As warm weather approaches, I want to make people aware of the dangers of leaving pets in cars, because it can get hot very quickly,” she said. “Some aren’t aware that dogs can get heat stroke like we do.”
Bryant averages about 15 to 25 calls per year on animals that are in danger due to being left in parked cars.

Two Henry County residents were arrested in Galax and charged with possession of narcotics.
Galax Police Sgt. Mark Burnett observed a vehicle occupied by Eric Dwayne Wright, 20, and Tynanhry Tremaine Watkins, 30, both of Axton, parked in suspicious a location, according to a police report. His observations and investigation revealed that the vehicle was improperly registered.

The City of Galax is seeking a grant to hire a bilingual police officer to better serve the Hispanic population in Galax.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS) awards grants to economically disadvantaged communities.
If awarded, the COPS grant would fund the position for three years at a total of $135,993 for salary and benefits. This is an entry-level position that would also pay to put a candidate through the police academy.

A string of burglaries which began last weekend ended May 12 with the arrest of two juveniles, according to Galax Police Chief Rick Clark.
Since May 7, the Galax Police Department had investigated six reports of medical offices being forcibly entered and cash taken.
According to a police report, an officer on patrol discovered an office in Doctor’s Park had been entered shortly after midnight on the morning of May 12. A second office had been tampered with, but entry was not made.

A vehicle that failed to stop for police led Galax officers on a pursuit into Grayson County on U.S. 58 at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour.
The incident occurred on May 11 around 7 p.m., according to a police report.
Galax Police Sgt. Mark Burnett attempted to stop a vehicle on East Stuart Drive/U.S. 58 in the city. He reported the vehicle was being driven in a reckless manner.
Officers discontinued the pursuit as rain began to fall west of the city.

Ernest Charles Dickens, 28, of Breezy Road in Woodlawn was arrested May 12 and charged with possession of methamphetamine and prescription drugs, after Galax Police Officer Darin Alley stopped Dickens’ vehicle.
According to a police report, Dickens was stopped for driving with defective equipment. Upon checking the registration of the vehicle, Alley discovered that the car’s license tags were improperly registered.

HILLSVILLE — Carroll deputies have charged three people after an investigation of a break-in at B&B Produce in Cana, according to Sheriff Warren Manning.
Investigators studied security camera photos from the store, identifying one of the suspects, a news release says.
This led to charges of felony breaking and entering and grand larceny against Joshua Harold, 22, of Ararat; Christopher Lee King, 31, also of Ararat; and Tabitha McMillian, 33, of Westfield, N.C.
Investigator Shannon Goad identified Harold from the photos.

HILLSVILLE — A driver who left the scene of a two-vehicle accident on U.S. 52 has been charged with felony hit and run, according to town police.
The accident occurred May 5 at about 5:30 p.m. in the construction zone on the bridge over the U.S. 58 bypass, when Nelson Ray Cox of Hillsville slowed down for a bump in the road, according to the accident report by Hillsville Officer Wes Yonce.
Cox’s 2008 Nissan was hit in the rear by a 2011 Dodge pickup, driven by Dwayne Alderman.

INDEPENDENCE — A man arrested on a trespassing charge is being held without bond after trying to escape from police custody.
Kenneth Wayne Spencer, 43, of 581 Stewart Hollow Lane in Mouth of Wilson, faces several charges, according to the Grayson County Sheriff’s Department.
Grayson Sheriff Richard Vaughan said that on April 19 deputies responded to a home on Old Bridle Creek Drive after receiving a call about a suspicious person knocking on the front door.
The property owner told the subject to leave several times.